Dafydd ap Gwilym

Dafydd ap Gwilym
Sculpture of Dafydd ap Gwilym by W Wheatley Wagstaff at City Hall, Cardiff
Born	Wales
Occupation	Poet
Writing career
Period	c. 1340–1370
Genres	Love poetry, erotica
Notable works	Trafferth mewn Tafarn, Y Rhugl Groen, Merched Llanbadarn, Morfudd fel yr Haul, Cywydd y gal
Website	dafyddapgwilym.net
Signature

Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320 – c. 1350/1370) is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and among the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd's poetry also offers a window into the cultural practices of the period and preservation of culture in the face of occupation.

Life

R. Geraint Gruffydd suggests c. 1315-c. 1350 as the poet's dates; others place him a little later from c. 1320–40c. 1370–80.

Later tradition has it that Dafydd was born at Brogynin, Penrhyn-coch (at the time Llanbadarn Fawr parish), Ceredigion. Although he doesn't mention this village in his poems, in his poem Taith i Garu (Love's Journey) he mentions a number of places which are close by, showing that he was familiar with the region.

His father, Gwilym Gam, and mother, Ardudfyl, were both from noble families. As one of noble birth it seems Dafydd did not belong to the guild of professional poets in medieval Wales, and yet the poetic tradition had been strong in his family for generations.

According to R. Geraint Gruffydd, he died in 1350, a possible victim of the Black Death. Tradition says that he was buried within the precinct of the Cistercian Strata Florida Abbey, Ceredigion. This burial location is disputed by supporters of the Talley Abbey theory who contend that burial took place in the Talley Abbey Churchyard:

On Saturday 15 September 1984 a memorial stone was unveiled by a Prifardd to mark the site in the churchyard at Talley where a deeply-rooted tradition asserts that the poet Dafydd ap Gwilym lies buried. For many centuries the rival claims of Talley and Ystrad Fflur have been debated as the burialplace of Wales’ foremost poet.

While it may be difficult to trace the exact years Dafydd was active, it is clear he wrote after the Edwardian conquests of Wales. Despite living under English authority, Dafydd's poetry presents ways in which Welsh culture continued to distinguish itself and prevail. Some of Dafydd's poetry outright reflects rejection of the standards of English authority, like in one poem where he draws attention to the state of housing after English subjugation of Wales.

The first recorded observation that Dafydd ap Gwilym was buried in Talley was made in the sixteenth century. Talley is located about 30 miles from Strata Florida (Welsh: Ystrad Fflur).

Welsh literature after the Norman invasion

While Dafydd's work displays the role literature played in forming Welsh culture in the early 14th century, artistic expression of culture was not as prevalent in the centuries prior. A large majority of cultural expression was demonstrated militarily, as the Welsh suffered many incursions by Norman and English invaders.

As the English kingdom fell to William I’s Norman conquest, Welsh holdings that were already contested by the English fell to Norman power. Immediately, William I placed William fitz Osbern in charge of managing the defence of the holdings. Quickly, Norman and trusted Anglo-Saxon nobility were put into centers of control within Welsh lands. The Norman Invasions began a long period where the preservation of Welsh culture coincided with the need for military defence.

In the following decades, the Norman advance grew slow, as the Welsh had time to plan defences unlike their English counterparts. As the campaigns drew on, marcher lordships were established on the border of Wales to help facilitate a defence against any counter-incursions. Due to the relative freedom granted to marcher lords, local marcher lords would often compete over territory. The lack of pressure exercised on Welsh authorities during the period of marcher lordships allowed Welsh cultural authority to strengthen in regions not controlled by the Normans or English.

In 1277, after multiple attempts to gain more local authority by the Welsh, Edward I began his conquests of the Welsh territories to plant control firmly in English hands. Within 5 years of the conquest's start, most of Wales was under English control. Under English control, the newly acquired Welsh territories saw a large expansion of English influence. The English made large investments into Welsh infrastructure and instituted new laws that would align more similarly to English law. This period of Welsh history saw Welsh culture physically dominated by English occupation; however, the peace brought under English rule allowed for Welsh culture to manifest in more artistic means. Poetry, like Dafydd's, became a more popular expression of Welsh culture because there was less of a united interest on warfare and defence.

Themes in Dafydd's poetry

It is believed that about one hundred and seventy of Dafydd's poems have survived, though many others have been attributed to him over the centuries. His main themes were love and nature. The influence of wider European ideas of courtly love, as exemplified in the troubadour poetry of Provençal, is seen as a significant influence on Dafydd's poetry. Courtly love was not a unique theme of Dafydd's poetry. While courtly love is primarily associated with the literature of mainland Europe, its elements can be found in works across the British Isles. Elements of courtly love have been noted in Welsh literature well before the Dafydd's active days, suggesting that courtly love grew as a culturally connected phenomenon across European literature.

Dafydd's poetry reflected the individuality of his own personal as well as Welsh cultural expression through his unique expression of common literary practices, as well as his individual voice in his poetry. One aspect that differed from conventional poetry in Dafydd's works was the use of himself as the subject. Traditional contemporary poetry traditionally kept the poet far removed from the scene. Dafydd's work, in contrast, is full of his own feelings and experiences, and he is a key figure in this transition from a primarily social poetic tradition into one in which the poet's own vision and art is given precedence. Dafydd's poetry was also unique in its expressions of religion and nature. In “Praise of Summer,” Dafydd praises both the divine and the changing of summer as connected and benevolent. Reference to the divine in prior and contemporary literature usually depicted strong themes of judgement and virtue. With Dafydd's poetry, we see these forces as a gift worth celebrating.

Dafydd's poetry also differs from the conventions of other love poetry in its use of sexual metaphor. Some of Dafydd's poems, such as “A Poem in Praise of the Penis”, display explicit connection to sexual desire. Yet, Dafydd was also well adept at keeping his metaphors subtle. In “The Lady Goldsmith,” Dafydd praises his devotion to a woman who creates attire out of her hair and nature's bristle. In the poem, the woman crafts a belt for Dafydd. In this poem, the metaphor of sexual desire is drawn from the proximity of the woman's hair to Dafydd's waist. The belt itself stands as the sexual connection between this woman and Dafydd. In contrast, traditional courtly love literature tended to shy away from praising sexual desire in favour of patience and virtuous romance.

He was an innovative poet who was responsible for popularising the metre known as the cywydd and first to use it for praise. Dafydd also has been credited for popularising the exacting rules of alliteration and rhyme known as cynghanedd. The continued use of cynghanedd and cywydd by Welsh poets after Dafydd's active years is a testament to the effect Dafydd had on shaping Welsh literary culture. Dafydd's poetry provided a framework for which Welsh literary culture could grow its own unique traditions.

Love poetry

Although Dafydd wrote comparatively conventional praise poetry, he also wrote love poetry and poetry expressing a personal wonderment at nature; Dafydd's poetry on the latter subject in particular is largely without precedent in Welsh or European literature in terms of its depth and complexity. His popularity during his own historic period is testified by the fact that so many of his poems were selected for preservation in texts, despite a relatively short career compared to some of his contemporaries.

Many of Dafydd's poems are addressed to women or humorously describe his unsuccessful attempts to seduce them. His best-known works include the following poems:

• Merched Llanbadarn (The Girls of Llanbadarn), in which he speaks of going to church on Sunday in order to ogle the local girls;
• Mis Mai (May), a celebration of the coming of summer, love's season;
• Trafferth mewn Tafarn (Trouble at a Tavern), in which he comically recounts the difficulties he faces trying to meet his lover in a tavern;
• Yr Wylan (The Seagull), a poem in which Dafydd asks a seagull to carry a message to his love;
• Y Rhugl Groen (The Rattle Bag), in which Dafydd's intercourse with a young girl is cruelly interrupted;
• Cywydd y Gal (A Poem in Praise of the Penis), in which complains that his penis has often got him into trouble, while at the same time boasting about it. Until recently it was not included in editions of Dafydd's works.

Morfudd

The woman most often mentioned in Dafydd's poems is Morfudd. She was apparently the wife of an Aberystwyth merchant and she seems to have had a long affair with Dafydd. She features in at least 28 poems including the following:

• Morfudd fel yr Haul (Morfudd Like the Sun). Dafydd describes Morfudd's beauty and her complexion, comparing it to snow or foam. He admits: "Her deceit and trickery is enormous, worse than anything, and (yet) she is my darling." He compares her to the sun, which shines brightly during the day, but disappears at night, when Morfudd goes to join her husband.
• Y Don ar Afon Dyfi (The Wave on the River Dyfi) Travelling back from North Wales, Dafydd is frustrated to find the River Dyfi (or Dovey) in full spate, preventing him from seeing Morfudd.
• Gwawd Morfudd (Morfudd's Mockery): Dafydd addresses Morfudd's declaration that she does not want a lover with a monk's tonsure. He denies that he has ever been a monk, flatters her, and reminds her how they had once made love in her bed.
• Y Gwynt (The Wind): Dafydd describes the wind and begs it to go to Morfudd to tell her how wretched he is without her.

Dyddgu

Another girl repeatedly mentioned in his poems is the aristocratic Dyddgu (Welsh pronunciation: ['dəðgɨ̞]), who appears in seven poems:

• Dyddgu: The poem starts by praising a nobleman, Ieuan ap Gruffudd, who was recently Dafydd's host; then Dafydd reveals that he has fallen in love with Ieuan's daughter. He retells the tale of the knight Peredur, who was reminded of his dark-haired beloved when he saw a dead blackbird.
• Caru Merch Fonheddig (To Dyddgu): Dafydd speaks of the hopelessness of his love for Dyddgu, using various images such as an archer shooting arrows at a difficult target to illustrate that it is just possible that he might one day win her.
• Gwahodd Dyddgu (Dyddgu's invitation) Dafydd invites Dyddgu to a tryst in the countryside, describing the heavenly beauty of the birch grove where they will meet.
• Dagrau Serch (Love's tears). Dafydd praises Dyddgu's beauty and tells how much he is suffering for her love.
• Achau Hiraeth (The Pedigree of Longing): A dialogue poem where personified Hiraeth (Longing) arrives as a messenger sent by Dyddgu to torment the sleepless poet.
• Dyddgu a Morfudd (Dyddgu and Morfudd): Dafydd compares Dyddgu's dark, aristocratic refinement with Morfudd's golden brilliance.
• Y Gainc (The Tune). Dafydd sings a new tune to the harp. Alas that Dyddgu, if she is still living, cannot hear it!

Praise poems

Ifor Hael

Another theme of several of Dafydd's poems is his praise for his patron Ifor ap Llywelyn (Ifor Hael), a nobleman of Bassaleg near Newport in Gwent. Although Dafydd does not explicity call Ifor "hael" ("generous"), it seems that because of his comparison of Ifor to Rhydderch Hael in two poems, Ifor became known as Ifor Hael to poets of the 15th century and later.

Dafydd wrote the following poems for Ifor:

• Cywydd Mawl i Ifor Hael (A Poem of Praise to Ifor Hael): In this poem, Dafydd compares Ifor to Rhydderch Hael (a famously generous king of the Old North) and declares that his fame will spread far and wide.
• Awdl i Ifor Hael (Ode to Ifor Hael): This poem is a tribute to Ifor’s status as a Chieftain. The poem is written partly in englyn unodl union stanzas and partly in highly elaborate stanzas of the toddaid metre, with the same rhyme "-or" continuing throughout the poem. The name Ifor comes at the end of all twelve stanzas.
• Englynion i Ifor Hael (Verses Addressed to Ifor Hael): A collection of four-line stanzas (englynion) that list ten of his patron's noble qualities, one in each stanza.
• Diolch am Fenig (Thanking for a Pair of Gloves): Dafydd warmly thanks Ifor for gifting him a pair of gloves.
• Basaleg: Dafydd sends a messenger from Glamorgan (to Anglesey with a message that he cannot leave Bassaleg in South Wales because of his love for Ifor. He describes his patron's character and the activities they enjoy together.
• Ymadael ag Ifor Hael (Taking Leave of Ifor Hael): Dafydd excuses himself to Ifor saying that he is about to depart to Gwynedd. He praises Ifor, comparing him to the famously generous ancient king Rhydderch Hael.
• Marwnad Ifor a Nest (Elegy for Ifor and Nest): An elegy mourning the death of Ifor and his wife, Nest. (Scholars believe, however, that this is a pseudo-elegy, since Ifor outlived Dafydd.)

In the poem Basaleg Dafydd describes some of the activities he enjoyed in Ifor's company. They include hunting with hounds, shooting stags (with arrows), hunting with hawks, drinking wine, singing poems, and playing backgammon and chess.

Religious poems

Despite the irreverent attitude to church-going and religious preaching which Dafydd displays in poems such as The Girls of Llanbadarn and The Poet and the Grey Friar, Dafydd also wrote at least three devotional Christian poems. These include the following:

• I'r Grog o Gaer (To the Rood of Carmarthen): This is a devotional poem praising a crucifix or rood, apparently in Carmarthen. The poem originally consisted of 50 elaborate stanzas in the metre englyn unodl union, but large parts of the manuscript are now illegible. It has been suggested that the handwriting of the manuscript may be that of Dafydd himself.
• Englynion yr Anima Christi (Stanzas on the Mass): It consists of a Latin prayer, the Anima Christi, split into separate lines. After each line there follows a stanza in Welsh in the metre englyn unodl union meditating on the prayer.
• Lluniau Crist a'r Apostolion (Pictures of Christ and His Apostles): This poem in cywydd metre is a meditation on a new painting of Christ and his disciples. It appears that the painting depicted Christ flanked by his apostles, six on either side.

The following, however, have been suspected by some scholars not to be by Dafydd:

• Y Drindod (The Trinity): A short poem of 6 couplets in the cywydd metre praising God the Father, Saint Anne, Saint Mary, and Jesus. Although all the manuscripts attribute it to Dafydd, some scholars doubt its authenticity because of its very simple style.
• Awdl i Iesu Grist (Ode to Jesus Christ): A poem describing Christ's life, the betrayal by Judas, the crucifixion, and the grief of the Virgin Mary. But the authenticity of this ode has been suspected on stylistic and other grounds. The poem is unusual in being written mostly in the toddaid metre.

Beethoven's Welsh Songs

The lyrics to the Lied 'Der Traum' in Ludwig van Beethoven's 1810 collection 26 Welsh Songs are a German translation and adaption of a dream-vision poem supposedly by Dafydd, though not to be found among his works or in his apocrypha.

Metre of the poems

Six different metres are used in Dafydd's poems, as follows:

• Cywydd deuair hirion

The great majority of Dafydd's extant poems are written in the cywydd deuair hirion ("long couplet cywydd") metre, often just called cywydd, which he may have invented or at any rate greatly popularised. This consists of rhyming couplets of seven-syllable lines ornamented with particular patterns of internal rhyme and consonance known as cynghanedd. In any couplet, one line must have a stressed rhyme and the other an unstressed one, in either order, for example iách ... thlýsach or ángor ... môr.

• Englyn unodl union

The next most frequently used metre in Dafydd's poems is the englyn unodl union, a four-line stanza of 10, 6, 7 and 7 syllables (the first two lines being a toddaid byr, and the last two lines being a cywydd deuair hirion couplet). Stanzas in this metre are found in I'r Grog o Gaer (To the Rood of Carmarthen), Englynion yr Anima Christi, Marwnad Llywelyn ap Gwilym and Englynion i Ifor Hael, as well as those listed below under toddaid and one of the poems in gwawdodyn. The Englynion Bardd i'w Wallt ("A Poet's Verses to his Hair"), if (as argued by Ann Parry Owen) it is by Dafydd ap Gwilym, is also in this metre.

• Englyn proest cyfnewidiog

The poem Marwnad Llywelyn ap Gwilym (Elegy of Llywelyn ap Gwilym, Dafydd's uncle, who was murdered), among its 35 stanzas, contains three in a different metre, englyn proest cyfnewidiog. This is a stanza of 7, 7, 7 and 7 syllables, which is rhymed by assonance (proest) instead of rhyme (odl).

• Toddaid

Five poems are made using the toddaid metre. This metre consists of four-line stanzas of 10, 9, 10 and 9 syllables with a complex rhyme scheme. Each poem begins with a few stanzas of englyn unodl union before changing to toddaid. The metre is used in the Ode for Ifor Hael, the Elegy for Ivor and Nest, Praise for Llywelyn ap Gwilym (his maternal uncle), Elegy for Angharad, and Satire for Rhys Meigen. (Another poem, Awdl i Iesu Grist, also uses toddaid but for various reasons is thought not be authentic).

• Gwawdodyn byr

Two poems use gwawdodyn byr, consisting of stanzas of 9, 9, 10 and 9 syllables (the last two lines being a toddaid). In one of these poems, Moliant Ieuan Llwyd ab Ieuan Fwyaf the metre is used alone; in the other, Moliant Hywel, Deon Bangor (Praise of Hywel, Dean of Bangor) three stanzas of englyn unodl union begin the poem, before the metre changes to gwawdodyn.

• Traethodl

One poem, The Poet and the Grey Friar, is written in traethodl. This metre is very similar to the cywydd in having rhyming couplets of 7-syllable lines, except that it has almost no cynghanedd ornamentation, and the rules for rhyme are less strict. It is thought to have been a popular precursor to the cywydd which developed into it by adding strict rules of rhyme and ornamentation. Three other poems of the same kind are known, but some scholars consider them inauthentic.

Dafydd's window into Welsh culture

The development of culture has been a topic of discussion for many years. As Robert Bartlett argues, European cultures formed in a homogeneous nature, primarily through conquest and settlement. This view has a favourable outlook if you take Wales in the time of Dafydd. The Welsh had become predominantly subservient to the English after the Edwardian conquests. Bartlett might argue that the cultural developments that came in the period of peace after the conquests is evidence for this principle of assimilation.

Some contend still that cultures developed as a product of their internal audiences. In the case of Dafydd, Helen Fulton argues that his poetry reflected the values admired by Welsh audiences and reflected values of the culture's uniqueness. In this context, Welsh culture is formed outside of outside influences of other cultures.

Others place their arguments somewhere on a spectrum of these two extremes. Andrew Breeze has noted that from even the earliest evidence of Welsh literature, there are many similarities between works of cultures from close and far proximity to the Welsh. While some of these similarities are directly attributed to warfare, there is also an apparent spread of cultural traditions peacefully. The argument is taken further by Carol Lloyd Wood, who demonstrates how intermarriage and architectural similarity among various regions also support an idea of passive cultural diffusion. Although, when looking at architecture from after the Edwardian conquests, the narratives of the polarised views tend to be amplified. Architecture tended to reflect the cultures of either the Welsh or English based on the level of authority of either group in the region.

Dafydd's poetry reflects the multiple avenues in which cultural exchange manifested in medieval Europe. Dafydd had clear influences by traditions of foreign origin that became used often in his poetry. Some of Dafydd's poetry also reflects the assimilation and domination present by the Edwardian conquests. Yet, Dafydd also displays poetic structure that would become part of the Welsh literary identity. Scratching the surface of Dafydd's poetry reveals that culture was defined and controlled by many aspects, and not just one major force.

When looking at a successor of Dafydd, Guto'r Glyn, one is able see to how these forces that control culture interact in a different context. Like Dafydd, Glyn used cywydd meter and referenced himself in his poetry; however, in Glyn's “Moliant i Syr Rhisiart Gethin ap Rhys Gethin o Fuellt, capten Mantes yn Ffrainc,” one can see other influences in Welsh literary culture. The poem praises an English lord in the same manner of classic heroes such as Arthur. God is also mentioned as an omnipotent protector. Glyn's poem demonstrates a much more traditional approach of gallantry and chivalry popular in continental European literature. Glyn also demonstrates the principle of assimilation in the sense that the English are viewed as equals or interchangeable with the Welsh. Despite taking influence from a previous Welsh figure in Dafydd, Glyn also demonstrates the effect outside influences had in shaping Welsh literary culture.

It is fair to say Dafydd was important in establishing certain customs that would become popular among Welsh literary culture. Although literary culture was very prevalent in the identities of medieval cultures, it often gets overlooked in larger debates about the spread of culture. By looking at Dafydd ap Gwilym, literary culture appears as just as an important part of Welsh cultural identity as resistance to occupation was.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Dafydd ap Gwilym

16. Gwilym ap Gwrwared 8. Einion Fawr ap Gwilym 17. Gwenllian ferch Ednyfed Fychan 4. Gwilym ab Einion Fawr 18. Sir Elidir Stackpole 9. N.N. ferch Sir Elidir Stackpole 2. Gwilym Gam ap Gwilym 20. Owain ap Maredudd 10. Llywelyn ab Owain 21. Angharad ferch Owain 5. Isabel ferch Llywelyn 1. Dafydd Llwyd ap Gwilym Gam 24. Llywelyn ab Ednyfed Fychan 12. Rhys ap Llywelyn 6. Gwilym ap Rhys 3. Ardudful ferch Gwilym

See also

• Welsh literature
• List of Welsh language poets
• Dafydd ap Gwilym Society, University of Oxford

Bibliography

• Bartrum, P. C., ed. (1976). Welsh Genealogies: AD 300-1400. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. doi:10.20391/40837b6f-1887-4afd-9c6e-9b7e3a122693. ISBN 070830561X. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023.
• Translations into English Verse from the Poems of Davyth ap Gwilym, a Welsh Bard of the Fourteenth Century (1834). By a translator only identified as Maelog, the bardic name of Arthur James Johnes, with A sketch of the life of Davyth ap Gwilym. Dedicated to William Owen Pughe.
• Rachel Bromwich, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Writers of Wales series. (Cardiff, 1974, University of Wales Press). An introduction in English.
• Rachel Bromwich, Aspects of the Poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1986).
• Rachel Bromwich (ed.), Dafydd ap Gwilym: Poems, Welsh Classics series (Llandysul, 2003, Gomer Press).
• Helen Fulton (ed.), Selections from the Dafydd ap Gwilym Apocrypha, Welsh Classics series (Llandysul, 1996, Gomer Press).
• Helen Fulton, Dafydd ap Gwilym and the European Context (Cardiff. 1989, University of Wales Press).
• Richard Morgan Loomis, Dafydd ap Gwilym: The Poems. Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, Binghamton, New York, 1982. English translations.
• Thomas Parry (ed.), Gwaith Dafydd ap Gwilym (2nd revised ed., Caerdydd, 1963, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru). Edited texts with extensive notes.
• Gwyn Thomas (ed.), Dafydd ap Gwilym: His Poetry (Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 2001). Includes a complete translation of the poems and an introduction.

External links

• dafyddapgwilym.net: all of Dafydd's poems with text, notes, and translation, published by the University of Swansea.
• Dafydd ap Gwilym and Welsh literary tradition on the BBC History website.
• Works by or about Dafydd ap Gwilym at the Internet Archive
• Works by Dafydd ap Gwilym at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• Trafferth Mewn Tafarn – Two English translations of Dafydd ap Gwilym's 'Trafferth Mewn Tafarn'
• Mis Mai a Mis Ionawr – An English translation of Dafydd ap Gwilym's 'Mis Mai a Mis Ionawr'

The Penmynydd family and their relatives

Disteiniaid of the Kingdom of Gwynedd      Members of the Penmynydd family      Members of the House of Tudor Tangwystl ferch Llywarch Ednyfed Fychan d. 1246 Gwenllian ferch Rhys d. 1236 Einion ap Gwalchmai fl. 1202–1223 Llywelyn ab Ednyfed Tudur ab Ednyfed d. c. 1281 Gruffudd ab Ednyfed Fychan d. c. 1256 Goronwy ab Ednyfed Fychan d. 1268 Angharad ferch Ednyfed Einion Fychan ab Einion Rhys ap Llywelyn Heilin ap Tudur fl. 1246–1282 Rhys Hen ap Gruffudd d. 1284 Tudur Hen ap Goronwy d. 1311 Dafydd ab Einion Fychan d. c. 1282 Gwilym ap Rhys Gruffudd ap Heilin d. c. 1340 Gruffudd Llwyd ap Rhys d. 1335 Goronwy ap Tudur Hen d. 1331 Tomos ap Llewelyn d. 1343 Ardudful ferch Gwilym Gwilym ap Gruffudd d. c. 1370 Hywel ap Goronwy d. c. 1367 Tudur ap Goronwy d. c. 1367 Marged ferch Tomos Elen ferch Tomos Gruffudd Fychan II Dafydd Llwyd ap Gwilym Gam d. c. 1350–1380 Gruffudd ap Gwilym d. 1405 Goronwy Fychan ap Tudur d. 1382 Rhys ap Tudur executed 1412 Ednyfed ap Tudur d. 1382 Gwilym ap Tudur d. 1413 Maredudd ap Tudur d. 1406 Owain Glyndŵr d. c. 1416 Gwilym ap Gruffudd d. 1431 Morfudd ferch Goronwy Owen Tudor c. 1400–1461 Tudur Fychan Edmund Tudor c. 1430–1456 1st Earl of Richmond Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford 1431–1495 David Owen Owain ap Tudur d. 1504/1505 Henry VII 1457–1509 King of England William ab Owain d. 1523? John ab Owain Richard ab Owain d. 1527 (?) Arthur 1486–1502 Prince of Wales Henry VIII 1491–1547 King of England Richard Owen d. 1558 William Bold Edward VI 1537–1553 King of England Mary I 1516–1558 Queen of England Elizabeth I 1533–1603 Queen of England Richard Owen Theodor (III) David Owen Theodor d. 1624 Richard Owen Theodor (IV) fl. 1645 Richard Owen Theodor (V) fl. 1665 Richard Owen Theodor (VI) fl. 1669